Use of Enzymes for the Separation of Protein from Rice Flour

ABSTRACT When rice flour was treated with heat stable α-amylases, the effectiveness of protein separation increased with increased temperature. Depending on the enzyme, treatment at 90°C for 45 min resulted in protein contents of 47–65% for the insoluble fraction. Prior gelatinization enhanced the effectiveness of the enzyme reaction but was undesirable because the increased viscosity and gelation could cause difficulties in the processing operation. Follow-up treatment with other carbohydratehydrolyzing enzymes, such as glucoamylase, cellulase, and hemicellulase further increased the protein content up to 76% for the insoluble fraction. The subunit structure of the isolated proteins, based on electrophoretic analysis, remained practically unchanged after the treatment. The limited solubility and emulsion activity of rice protein were also unchanged.